After the comments about ‘colourism’ got her into hot water, she responded on Twitter
R&B singer Tinashe has been torched for speaking out in a new interview with The Guardian, where she speaks about not being fully embraced by the black community.
“There’s colourism involved in the black community, which is very apparent,” she told The Guardian. “It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes. I am what I am.”
As it is contextualised in the interview, the comment reads as though she blames the black community for not helping her to achieve chart success. The singer took to Twitter to shut down how the comments were presented.
...because things are completely taken out of context. As they have been here.
— TINASHE (@Tinashe) June 13, 2017
I was not talking about colorism in the industry. This is taken out of context.
— TINASHE (@Tinashe) June 13, 2017
The article framed it as such, about success in music, where as the conversation we had was about my experiences growing up in general.
— TINASHE (@Tinashe) June 13, 2017
The “2 On” singer has long been on the come-up, pegged for success after working with Future, Schoolboy Q, Mike WiLL Made-It and DJ Mustard. Despite the A-list collaborators, she hasn’t exactly cracked the top 10, and her album Joyride has been delayed multiple times.
In the interview, she also addressed rumours that Rihanna’s camp nabbed the title track off of Joyride. “Yeah, that’s true,” she said. “But I don’t know if it was personally Rihanna, like, ‘I’m taking that from Tinashe.’ I don’t think that’s how it worked. But it’s back now.”
She also voiced her thoughts on being unfavourably compared to Rihanna and Beyoncé. However, many on Twitter have pointed out that these same names who garner comparisons had to struggle when they were still just a twinkle in the public’s eye.
When Beyoncé first went solo, I remember headlines like these. She fought hard for her independence from DC esp since everyone hated her pic.twitter.com/1XruMVXjE3
— ActualBlackMermaid (@Imani_Yvonne) June 13, 2017
Tinashe doesn't give looks, good music, nor does she body pop half as good as Ciara. She better go join Rita Ora in Neverland.
— melyssa ford. (@jameelajoie) June 13, 2017
Tinashe made valid points about how she isn't seen as Black ENOUGH to some Black people. That is very much true for some mixed ppl.
— Cole Turner's wife (@WickedBeaute) June 13, 2017
Tinashe career feels type hexed but she is correct that dudes in the biz with very little distinguishing characteristics still get to eat.
— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) June 13, 2017
While the singer began trending on Twitter for her comments, and despite saying that the colourism comments were removed of context, these feelings aren’t new. Tinashe has long been vocal about how she feels sidelined in the music industry.
“For me, I feel like I still have to represent the (black) community,” she told xoNecole in December 2015. “That has been what has been my struggle because people do feel like there is only room for one. There is a Beyoncé, there is a Rihanna, there is Zendaya, there is a Jourdan Dunn. There is a black girl in all of these positions and we don’t need another one.”
“It’s just kind of ridiculous because there are like a hundred blonde, white actresses and leading ladies. There are a hundred rappers that all virtually look the same, sound the same, and dress the same and no one cares. But for some reason, when it comes to young women, they want to pit them against each other. There can’t be room (for us all). There can’t be five black girls winning. It’s weird.”
There is still no release date set for Joyride.